The most shameless alchemist in history

“I’ve never seen her, except in photos.” Nono remained with her back to Dure. The two stood at the end of the corridor. Everyone was immersed in the frenzy of the auction, and no one paid any attention to their presence. There happened to be a window in this spot.

The city's night view can be seen through the window, and a gentle evening breeze blows in, making it a bit chilly.

“So you’re just like me. But I’ve never even seen a picture of them, I don’t know what they look like, and they didn’t leave me anything.” Du Lei walked over to Nono and stood next to her. Nono’s head was still down, so he couldn’t see her expression. He just smiled helplessly.

"Should I comfort you?" Nono slowly raised her head and looked at Du Lei on her right.

"No, no need, I can't afford it. Besides, isn't it good as it is now? I have no worries, I can go wherever I want, do whatever I want. I just occasionally miss it, but then I realize I can't find a place to miss it, so I can only give up." Du Lei still smiled.

"Aren't you sad?" Nono asked him curiously.

"When I was little, I would, but after feeling sad, I realized there was nothing I could do. I would still go hungry, and I would still get cold. So over time, I stopped thinking about it and stopped feeling sad. Look, there's a moon tonight." Du Lei stretched by the window.

"Idiot, it just rained. You probably forgot how you got in here. There's no moon." Nono looked at the sky. The rain had finally stopped, and there was no way to see the outline of the moon.

"Didn't you see it? I saw it," Du Lei said mysteriously.

"I don't believe your nonsense." Nono shook her head firmly; the facts were right there.

“I really saw it. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the sky; it could be in my eyes.” Dure turned to look at Nono and smiled gently.

“You smooth-talking bastard, you’re no good.” Nono finally understood what Du Lei meant and immediately turned her head to the side.

"If it's none of them, then tell me, besides me, who else is a bad person?" Du Lei pressed on with this matter.

"Mind your own business," Nono rolled her eyes at him.

"I was just curious."

Curiosity is also not allowed.

240 See you again someday

Although Nono ultimately didn't make a purchase at the auction, and at first glance she seemed to have gained nothing, Du Lei noticed all the changes in her emotions. When he saw a smile finally appear on her face, Du Lei breathed a sigh of relief. According to Nono, it wouldn't be bad for the two of them to go back.

But just as the two were about to leave Maple Tower along the same route, ignoring the ongoing auction, a sudden commotion arose nearby. This did not come from inside the auction hall; although the shouts inside were deafening, it had to be admitted that the soundproofing was excellent.

A figure was running towards them from directly in front of them. Du Lei reacted quickly and instinctively dodged to the side. The other person was coming on strong and was too reckless, but even so, Du Lei was still hit hard.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! You reacted really fast, buddy, you just happened to be standing where I dodged." The one who bumped into Du Lei was a short boy who looked only thirteen or fourteen years old. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a white bow tie and looked like a nobleman.

"I should be asking you that. I clearly made way for you, but you still bumped into me. Why are you in such a hurry to walk?" Du Lei was baffled. Normally, he would never be bumped into, but this still happened. There are only two possible explanations.

One possibility is that the other person was deliberately coming towards him and leaning against him, but he and this guy are complete strangers, and judging from his reaction, that possibility can be largely ruled out. So there's only one other explanation: the other person saw that he was about to bump into someone.

To avoid this situation, he dodged to the side, which happened to be the same thing Du Lei was thinking, and that's how they collided.

"Stop! You stop right there! We've sealed off Maple Tower inside and out. He can't escape. You guys go over there. Come with me!" At this moment, Du Lei heard hurried voices coming from not far away, accompanied by hurried footsteps.

"These people are really persistent, buddy. I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to. I have something to do, so I'll have to go now. See you again sometime." The boy who had just been knocked to the ground by Du Lei immediately got up and looked back in the direction from which the voice came.

Clearly feeling a bit guilty, he immediately jumped up, waved at Du Lei, and hurriedly ran away, disappearing in the blink of an eye. The whole thing took less than a minute, and even Nuonuo didn't have a chance to speak, which left both of them feeling somewhat bewildered.

"Who are these people? Hey, are you alright?" Nono asked Du Lei after a while, trying to come to her senses.

"What could possibly happen to me? Never mind him, let's go." Du Lei straightened his clothes. Although that kid was quite strong just now, it was nothing to him, who had been fighting bears since he was a child. At this moment, a group of people came running over in a hurry.

"Where are they? Did you two see anyone pass by just now?" These people were all wearing black work uniforms, and it was clear that they were all staff members of the auction house, or the kind responsible for security. They all looked fierce and burly, and did not look like kind people.

“There was indeed a person just now, who went this way.” Du Lei pointed in the direction the person had left. He didn’t know the person at all, and the person’s behavior was suspicious. He had no obligation to keep the person’s identity a secret.

"Understood, hurry and chase after them!" The group quickly followed the direction Du Lei pointed out. From Du Lei's position, they could see another group of people chasing after them on the other side of the corridor, showing that this commotion had caused quite a stir.

"What happened? Why are so many people involved? And what kind of heinous thing did that guy do?" Nono pondered, resting her chin on her hand. Her mood had improved considerably since she left the auction house.

She used to be indifferent to everything, but now she can still care about other things, which means that her previous inner conflict has temporarily come to an end.

"It doesn't seem peaceful here either. Let's leave first." Du Lei didn't want to stay in the auction house for too long and urged her to leave.

"Let's go." Nono agreed. It was still a long way to get back to the academy, and it was getting late.

Ever since he brushed past the boy being chased, Du Lei had a bad feeling. This feeling came true when he and Nono were about to leave the gate of Maple Tower. Staff members blocked the gate and refused to let them leave, their attitude very firm.

"You guys, do you know who I am? My brother-in-law is the sheriff of Maple City. How dare you stop me?" Besides Du Lei and Nuonuo, a large group of people were blocked at the door. The originally spacious hall was now crowded with dozens of people.

These were all impeccably dressed celebrities and gentlemen, and without exception, they were all blocked at the entrance, with some shouting angrily.

"I'm very sorry, sir, but our orders are that no one is allowed to leave. Please cooperate with my work." The staff at the gate were not buying it. A dozen strong men blocked the gate tightly, and a few more men were watching him menacingly from the corner.

"Keep an eye on those guys." Nono wasn't quite sure what had happened, but she gestured for Dure to look at the group of people in the corner.

"Yes, I saw them just now. They're from the auction house, right?" Du Lei noticed the group of people in the corner when he arrived at the main entrance. Although they were not nearly as intimidating as the staff blocking the entrance, they varied in height and weight.

But their gloomy aura was truly terrifying; just looking at them from afar gave one a chilling feeling.

“That’s right. As a rising star in recent years, the jade auction house is not only incredibly wealthy and reputable, but also because it has a group of formidable thugs. Those few people…” Nono paused here.

"Not to be underestimated? How do they compare to you?" Dure recalled Nono's performance in the Ash Tower.

“You don’t want to know the answer; they are all top-notch experts.” Nono shook her head, not giving Du Lei a clear answer.

“Okay, I’m not curious about this kind of thing. What are they investigating now? Is it related to what happened before?” Du Lei recalled the guy who brushed past him, or rather, bumped into him. He paused here and didn’t continue.

"This is their auction house's business, it has nothing to do with us." Nono winked at him, and more and more people gathered around. At the main entrance, another group of people arrived. This group was a group of people in uniform, the uniforms of sheriffs.

"Brother-in-law, you've finally arrived! Look at these guys, they actually dared to block me here, this is really disrespectful to you. Look, this is my brother-in-law." The young man who had been blocked at the gate became smug as he saw the middle-aged man walk in.

"Shut up! I've already received orders to fully cooperate with your company's investigation. Maple Tower has been completely sealed off. Do you need any more help?" The middle-aged man glared at his brother-in-law before turning to ask a staff member in charge at the scene.

"The biggest help you can give us is the ability to control your family members," the staff member in charge coldly replied.

241 Please move aside

Du Lei originally thought that he would only have to wait a few minutes before the staff blocking the door would let him through, but after more than ten minutes of this, there was still no result. Calculating the time, the auction was in full swing, and only a small number of people had chosen to leave.

Because the auction house was slow to give an explanation, the blocked guests quickly lost patience, making the atmosphere tense. Du Lei never wanted to be the first to stick his neck out, and waiting a few more minutes was nothing to him, but then an unexpected incident occurred.

Not long ago, Nono was feeling down, but after finally getting back to her usual lively self, she suddenly fainted without warning, which panicked Du Lei.

"Nono, are you alright? Wake up." Du Lei immediately caught Nono when she fainted. He tried to wake her up, but no matter how he called, she didn't respond. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, which gave Du Lei a bad feeling.

"Oh no, her forehead is so hot! No, we can't stay here. Please make way, I need to find a doctor. Please make way." Du Lei touched her forehead and saw that her brows were furrowed, her body temperature was rising, and she was shivering. Realizing that something was wrong, he picked her up and prepared to leave.

"Sir, please forgive us that we cannot let you leave before the auction ends." The staff member in charge of the scene was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His hair was neatly combed, with a small tuft hanging down in front of his forehead that was particularly noticeable.

“My friend is sick, and I have to take her to the hospital immediately. Can’t you see that right now?” Du Lei didn’t have time to waste with him. He had noticed the location of the hospital on his way here, and now that Nuonuo was in such a condition, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time here.

"Getting sick at this time is too much of a coincidence." The middle-aged man glanced at Du Lei and Nuonuo, who was unconscious in his arms. At this moment, someone leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"What did you say? Are you sure it was just the two of them? Hmm, I understand." After listening to what the staff member next to him said, he looked at Du Lei with suspicion again. He stood directly in front of the latter, blocking the door and preventing Du Lei from stepping through.

"What do you mean by coincidence? Stop dawdling here," Du Lei said, trying his best to control his emotions.

"When we were chasing the criminal before, you two saw him, right?" The middle-aged man glanced at Nuonuo, not paying her any attention at all, and slowly asked Du Lei about the previous incident, referring to the time when Du Lei was bumped into in the corridor.

"What exactly do you mean? This isn't the time to talk about that." Du Lei sensed the implication in his words but didn't want to argue with him.

“You’ve met with the prisoner, are eager to leave at this time, and then conveniently fall ill at this particular moment. It’s hard not to be suspicious.” The middle-aged man pondered carefully, resting his chin on his hand. He had no interest in the life or death of the girl in front of him; all he cared about was the orders he had received.

“If you have any doubts, you can have someone follow me, or invite the doctor over. Once you see the doctor, we can talk about other things later.” Du Lei noticed that Nono’s questions were getting more and more difficult. Although he had saved people before and knew some basic medical skills, he was still concerned.

However, this was the first time he had ever seen Nono in such a condition, and he also didn't have the medicine he had prepared with him.

“If you let him go, it will be difficult for you to catch him again.” The answer to Du Lei did not come from the middle-aged man who blocked his way, but from behind him. The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Du Lei, and he subconsciously turned his head to look, seeing a face that was not unfamiliar to him.

"It's you!" Du Lei immediately recognized the man swaggering over as the one who had beaten him up at the entrance of Maple Tower not long ago.

"Oh my, what a coincidence, we meet again. What's wrong? I taught you a lesson before, and I thought you'd slink away. I didn't expect someone like you to still manage to sneak in. Hey, how are you guys guarding the gate? How could you let scum like this into Maple Tower?"

The man who walked over was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome face and luxurious clothes. At first glance, he looked like a young master from a prominent family.

"So it's Young Master Boluo. Does Young Master Boluo know this person?" The middle-aged man blocking the way recognized the young nobleman.

"How could I possibly know such scum? I saw him acting suspiciously outside before I even got to know him, so I taught him a lesson. I was going to warn you guys, but I forgot for a moment. Now that something has happened in Maple Tower, it must have been him."

Boro was delighted to see Dure's anxious expression. He was still resentful of the look in Dure's eyes when he beat him up in the rain earlier. But the look in Dure's eyes now pleased him greatly.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Du Lei hated being slandered, but seeing Nono's condition getting worse in his arms made him even more anxious.

“Someone like you doesn’t even deserve to enter Maple Tower. Why don’t you investigate his invitation letter? Just arrest him and interrogate him thoroughly. Then everything you want to know or want to know will come to light.” Boro spoke deliberately slowly.

This doesn't mean he's a slow person; in fact, he's an impatient one. However, he knows that time is like a knife, slowly cutting away at the person in front of him that he finds annoying or even hateful, and he enjoys the process.

"Young Master Boro's idea is truly thoughtful, thank you very much." The middle-aged man bowed slightly to Boro, treating him with great respect.

"So please show me your invitation." After thanking him, the middle-aged man turned to look at Du Lei, treating him as a suspect.

"Hello, about the invitation?" Du Lei considered himself a calm person, but at this moment, his chest was burning with anger. However, considering Nono's current situation, he forced himself to hold back. Nono was in charge of keeping the invitation; he remembered that she had put it in her pocket.

With Nono unconscious, he had no choice but to take the invitation on his own initiative, and quickly found it and pulled it out.

"Oh, there really is an invitation? It's probably a fake. You'd better check it carefully, don't let some unscrupulous people take advantage of it." Boro watched the show from the sidelines, finding pleasure in the suffering of others—that's probably the best description of him.

"Please check carefully to see if it's a forgery. Don't waste time." Du Lei handed the invitation to the middle-aged man in front of him. He and Nono entered Maple Tower very easily, and the guards at the entrance had checked it, so there was absolutely no problem.

"Whether it's fake or not, we can find out by checking. This is it." After taking the invitation and glancing at it, the middle-aged man was first taken aback, and a look of panic appeared on his face. But soon he smiled coldly and threw the invitation to the ground.

“This invitation is clearly forged. You dare to try and fool me into arresting them both. I think they are definitely involved in tonight’s events.” The staff member in charge of the scene waved his hand, and immediately a large number of guards surrounded them.

Arrest all 242.

The man's reaction completely stunned Du Lei, because the invitation had been checked and there were no problems when he entered Maple Tower. But in such a short time, the auction house's attitude had made a complete 180-degree turn, leaving Du Lei at a loss.

But what's even more critical is that if he were alone, he wouldn't mind slowly wearing down these people. However, Nuonuo's condition is getting worse and worse, and he can't just waste his time here. But the more anxious he gets, the more things are developing in the direction he least wants to see.

"Hey, what's going on over there? Why is a group of people surrounding us and not letting us leave?" A guest had just arrived at the main entrance when he saw more than a dozen people surrounding a young couple, one of whom had fainted. He was completely confused about the situation.

"It seems the auction house was arresting someone, and they caught these two. They sneaked in with fake invitations, and I don't know if they stole anything or what." Someone who had been observing the situation since Du Lei and Nono appeared vaguely knew what had happened.

"No way, they look so young, and they don't seem like it." There was a murmur around, but no one stepped forward.

Firstly, this is the auction house's own business. They can curse the jade auction house as a scoundrel at the auction, but in private, the latter is a behemoth with immense financial resources and a group of formidable thugs. Nobody wants to provoke them because of unrelated people.

Secondly, there was a powerful young nobleman watching the show nearby, whose attitude clearly showed he wanted to kick a man when he was down. If anyone stood up to help, even just by saying a word, he would surely be seen as a thorn in the man's side.

"How could it be a forgery? Are you kidding me?" Du Lei couldn't believe it. Although he had never seen the contents of the invitation, he trusted Nuonuo. Moreover, Nuonuo's words and actions had indicated that the invitation was very useful and shouldn't have resulted in this kind of treatment.

"I think you're the one who's really joking. There's no way such an invitation could possibly appear here. Arrest them all and take them away." The middle-aged man's expression was stern. He had maintained a basic polite smile before, but now he had even abandoned that.

Du Lei was speechless for a moment. This kind of situation was not something he was good at handling, and there were just too many people around.

He couldn't hunt wild beasts like he would on the vast snowy mountains. He couldn't handle just those dozen or so burly men, not to mention the several shadowy figures lurking in the dark corners.